ARTS

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Whe Michigan Daily

Friday, December 11, 1981.

Page 7

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Tis the Season for'
Christmas pageants

'University Dance Company performs tonight at the Power
Center for the Performing Arts.
Dance Company
pifers original works

C HRISTMAS IS just around the cor-
ner and for performing arts groups
that means it's time to present the
traditional array of Holiday shows.
Tonight at the U-M Museum of Art
Professor Bert Hornback of the Univer-
sity English dept. will read the
traditional holiday classic, "A Christ-
mas Car'ol."
Assisting Hornback will be the Can-
tabile Brass Quintet. The group will
begin performing at 7:45 p.m. in antici-
pation of Hornback's arrival as Charles
Dickens at 8 p.m.
At the conclusion of the reading, the
audience will be treated refreshments
(cookies and punch) by Friends of the
Museum. Afterwards, everyone will be
invited to go caroling around the city.
The Ann Arbor Chamber Orchestra
Society will be performing their
popular Holiday Dessert Concert
tonight at the Michigan League
Ballroom at 8 p.m.
The evening's musical program by
the Orchestra, led by Maestro Carl
Daehler, will feature clarinetist Jay de
Vries as soloist. Mr. de Vries is a
familiar face to Ann Arbor audiences,
having performed as principal clarinet
with the Chamber Orchestra for the last
Wretch
The following are Billboard's hot
record hits for the week ending Dec. 10
as they appear in next week's issue of
Billboard magazine.
Top LP's
1) 4-Foreigner (Atlantic)
2) Ghost in the Machine-The Police
(A&M)
3) For Those About to Rock--AC/DC
(Atlantic)
4) Escape-Journey (Columbia)
5) Raise-Earth, Wind & Fire (ARC-
Columbia)
6) Physical-Olivia Newton-John
(MCA)
7) Bella Donna-Stevie Nicks (Modern
Records)
8) Tattoo You-Rolling Stones (Rolling
Stones)
9) Shake It Up-The Cars (Elektra)
10) Exit Stage Left-Rush (Mercury)
-" $2 TO 6.00 PM)
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Rex Reed
pAIPARU4:151
OFrTHE17:001
LOST ARK 19:301
,,-. A PARAMOUNT.

four seasons. He will perform "Concer-
to for Clarinet and Strings," a work
composed by Joseph Blatt.
Other works to be performed are
Mozart's "Divertimento No. 2 in D,"
Benjamin Britten's "Simple Sym-
phony," and Franz Josef Haydn's
"Symphony No. 72." Following the con-
cert the audience will be invited to par-
ticipate in a carol sing-along with the
Orchestra.
Tickets for this concert cost $11.00
and include reserved seating, dessert
and coffee or tea. Tickets may be pur-
chased at the Michigan Theatre Box Of-
fice (603 E. Liberty). For more infor-
mation contact the Chamber Orchestra
office at 996-0066.
The Harbinger bance Company is
presenting "Ebenezer" at the Music
Hall in Detroit through the weekend.
"Ebenezer" is a modern version of
Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." Scrooge
is now a slum landlord and Cratchit's
family are his tenants. The performan-
ce is a unique combination of dance and
spoken dialogue set to music. For more
information call the Harbinger Dance
Company at 824-1155.
Support the
March of Dimes
BIRTH DEFECTS FOUNDATION

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NYTIME A WORK of art is
created, whether it is a dance, a
musical composition, or a piece of
sculpture, it is always special because
it is something utterly new, created out
of nothing. Nothing, that is, but the ar-
tist's own resources-his brain,
imagination, heart, and soul.
Tonight at Power Center for the Per-
forming Arts is the premiere of four
dance pieces, performed by the Univer-
sity of Michigan Dance Company. None
of these dances have yet been seen by
an audience, and it will be interesting to
see them as something new and only
recently created.
These dances are choreographed by
members of the faculty of the Dance
Department. What makes this fall con-
cert ,especially interesting is that in
many ways it is an Ann Arbor project,
created mostly by people who live and
work in Ann Arbor. Delanghe,
choreographer of one of tonight's pieces
says that' "We try to collaborate with
local artists (because) it makes the
program so much more vital."
Delanghe's "Motor Tango" uses
music composed by University com-
poser George Wilson. "Sunsets, Birds
and, Other Small Occurrences,"
choreographed by Willie Feuer, uses
the music of Gregory Ballard, Dance
Department Musical Director. And
"Tikal," choreographed by Dance
Department Chairman Elizabeth
Bergman, uses three large steel sculp-
tures on stage, sculpted by Ann Arbor
artist John Merigan.
"Motor Tango" opens the concert.
This fast moving work is a challenge for
both the dancers and for the audience
because of its frenetic pace. The dance
* includes four sets of couples interacting
but in a sense sparring. Meant to be en-
tertaining, with comic aspects, it is
"witty and funny, fesity and sassy" ad-
ded Delanghe. There is not much sof-
tness in "Motor Tango"; it is meant to
be fun.

Next in the program is Feuer's "Sun-
sets, Birds, and Other Small Occurren-
ces." Describing his piece as simply
"the rhythms of a sunset," Feuer
creates his scen'e by employing an in-
teraction between lighting, music and
the dancers themselves. It is a visually
rich piece.
Third is Bergman's "Tikal." This is a
different sort of work because it uses
mixed media by including the three
large sculptured figures. These figures
add a new dimension to a dance
because, due to their constant presen-
ce, a dancer can never be alone on
stage; there are always three large
figures looming high above. "Tikal"
was inspired by Bergman's visit to
Guatamala, but it includes various
aspects of life. Says Bergman: "The
dance goes through, the gamut of
relationships; it dealswithcontem-
porary issues.
The last piece of the evening, Vera
Embree's "Kafo," uses Afro-American
technique combined with traditional
African movement. It is based on
African ritual and initiation rites and
will be performed with live drumming.
With the rhythm of live percussion and
a total of 29 dancers on the stage,
"Kafo" should be an interesting visual
and audio experience.
The University Dance Company
featuring Dance Department majors,
provides good opportunities for
everyone involved. Not only do the
students get to work in a professional
atmosphere; they also get the oppor-
tunity of working closely with their in-
structors, in a non-classroom
situation. The student dancers are able
to see their instructors in the throes of
the creative process, an uncommon oc-
currence. "Something really special
happens," says Bergman. "The dan-
cers really grow."
The, University of Michigan Dance
Company Concert opens tonight and
runs through Sunday. Curtain time is 8
p.m. tonight and Saturday and 3 p.m. on
Sunday.

BUS and LIMO TI-CKETSv
Michigan Union Ticket Office
Open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.
OPEN THROUGH WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23
Detroit Toledo Lansing
Suburbs Cleveland Traverse City
Metro Airport Kalamazoo AND MORE
Flint Jackson
BUY YOUR TICKETS FOR HOLIDAY TRAVEL ERRLYI
For more information, call 763-5610
OF ALL TIME ARE BACK!

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DAVEBRUBECK

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LA FIESTA DE
LA POSADA
A CHRISTMAS CHORAL PAGEANT

JAK
LEMMON

WALTER
M1IAU

TUES., DEC. 15
8 P.M. HILL AUD.
ANN ARBOR
Also: Brubeck Quartet
featuring "MADCAT" RUTH

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BDDY

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